MLB Baseball Matchup
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Oakland Athletics |
Atlanta Braves |
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| Oakland Athletics |
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| Atlanta Braves |
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 Atlanta starter Tim Hudson didn't get to face his former team the last time they came to town, but this time, he'll get his chance.
Hudson will make his first start against the struggling Oakland Athletics on Saturday when the Braves continue their three-game series at Turner Field.
Hudson (6-2, 2.54 ERA) began his career with the A's in 1999 and went 92-39 with a 3.30 ERA and two All-Star appearances before he was traded to Atlanta prior to the 2005 season. Oakland (23-20) lost two of three games in Atlanta June 10-12, 2005, but Hudson did not get a chance to square off against his former team.
He's finally getting his shot three years later, but Hudson doesn't think this start will be much different from any other.
"Really the only guys still around from when I was there are (Mark) Ellis and (Bobby) Crosby," he told the Braves' official team Web site. "It would be weird if I was facing them, and like half of my former teammates were still there. But I really don't know any of these guys."
Hudson might be more concerned about improving on his interleague record with the Braves (21-20). He is 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 31 career interleague starts, but just 0-8 with a 7.32 ERA in 10 starts against the AL since switching leagues.
Still, Hudson won at least 13 games in each of his first three seasons with the Braves and is looking strong again in 2008. He has dominated in his last three starts, winning each while yielding just two earned runs in 23 innings.
Hudson gave up just one unearned run in seven innings Monday in an 8-1 win in the second game of a doubleheader in Pittsburgh.
The Braves won their eighth straight home game on Friday, 3-2 in the series opener. Atlanta, which was coming off a 2-5 road trip, owns the best home record in baseball at 15-4, but is a major league-worst 6-16 on the road.
"There's no rhyme or reason why we win at home," said Jeff Francoeur, who drove in Atlanta's first run with a single. "It's unbelievable."
Mark Kotsay, acquired from Oakland in the offseason, doubled in Chipper Jones for the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Jones, who leads the majors with a .423 batting average, went 2-for-3 after missing Thursday's 5-0 loss in Philadelphia with a strained groin.
The A's, meanwhile, lost their season-worst fourth straight and fell to 1-6 on their current nine-game trip. They have managed only four runs in their last four games, including a pair of shutout losses in a three-game sweep in Cleveland.
"Our team is solid. We have peaks and valley," starter Dana Eveland said. "We'll be out of it soon."
Starter Rich Harden (1-0, 3.68) will try to help them end their slide on Saturday.
Harden returned Sunday after a stint on the 15-day disabled list and gave up five runs in 3 2-3 innings of Oakland's 12-6 win over Texas. Harden, who had been nursing a strained right shoulder, was unable to hold a four-run first-inning lead in his first start since April 2 and third this season.
"First time out, I'm somewhat happy," said Harden, who's been on the disabled list six times in the last four years. "Obviously I didn't get that many innings in and gave up some runs, but I wasn't disappointed."
Harden is making his first appearance against the Braves. He is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA in six career interleague outings, including five starts.
Pick: Atlanta Braves
Result: Lost
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